


Say It

by animehead



Category: SK8 the Infinity (Anime)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Love Confessions, M/M, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Porn with Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-23 10:28:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30054060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/animehead/pseuds/animehead
Summary: Joe and Cherry finally realize their love language.
Relationships: Nanjo Kojiro | Joe/Sakurayashiki Kaoru | Cherry Blossom
Comments: 12
Kudos: 305





	Say It

**Author's Note:**

> Started watching Sk8 and the matchablossom dragged me out of fanfic retirement. It's been a few years since I wrote anything so forgive my rustiness. This is a lazy, half-ass edited, and a bit rushed, but I wanted to get it out today. Hopefully, I'll have more fics coming soon.

**_Cherry_ **

One of the skills Kaoru had developed from his line of work was convincing others to believe that he was listening. Sure, he listened to his client's directives and if they happened to speak of anything that he found beneficial to completing his job, he always had an ear at the ready. Other than that, it was all for show. Strong eye contact, a head nod signaling faux interest, and maybe even a question or two here and there, of which, of course, he already knew the answer. 

He knew the game and he played it well, so when his doctor provided him with a clean bill of health, he nodded in understanding as she reminded him to take it easy and warned him against any immediate heavy lifting or strenuous activities that could land him back at the hospital. 

His mind, however, was already back at 'S.' Back where it all started and—at one point—he had hoped to end it. Adam certainly had other plans about that. He'd made that painfully clear. 

Now that he was fully healed, his only goal was to get back on Carla. Besides, skateboarding wasn't strenuous. It was freeing. It was the air in his lungs and the blood in his veins. He wasn't a novice. He was experienced. Talented, even. He wasn't going to fall off his board or make some boneheaded move that would wind up with him getting hurt. 

He had simply misjudged someone. Someone who used to be a friend. Someone, at one point in his life, he had hoped would possibly be more than that. 

But that thought belonged in the past along with his old piercings and school uniform. Fond memories and inside jokes shared between two and sometimes three, foolish kids. 

"Do you have any questions for me, Mr. Sakurayashiki?" His doctor stared down at him. 

He met her gaze from his spot on the examination table and offered her a small smile. 

"None at all. Thank you for taking such good care of me." 

He rose to his feet, which was immediately followed by a bow of appreciation. He hadn't paid much attention to what she said, but it didn't matter. 

He wouldn't be back. 

It was a notably hot day for spring, he noticed as he stepped outside the doctor’s office. The only thing rivaling his attention to the sun was the rumbling of his stomach. He knew he could stop and get something to eat on his way home, but he didn't see much point in it. 

Especially when he could get fine Italian dining for free. 

\---

It took longer than he’d expected to arrive, partly because he had to wait for Carla to fully charge and partly because he wanted to make sure that he made an entrance when he arrived at ‘S.’ He wanted everyone there, including Adam, to know that he hadn’t been— _and wouldn’t be_ —stopped. Boring or not, he had earned his right to be there. Whether Adam liked it or not, Kaoru was a founding member of ‘S.’

“Carla, time?”

“It is 9:49, Master,” Carla answered. 

Eleven minutes before Kojiro closed down the restaurant, threw on his street clothes, and headed to ‘S.’ Kaoru hadn’t realized how long he had taken to get ready. Oh well. They would just have to be late. He was still hungry. 

He stepped into the entrance of Kojiro’s restaurant and was greeted with the familiar smell of delicious food and relaxing atmosphere. He spotted Kojiro behind the bar, wiping down the countertop. 

“Sorry, but we’re…” 

He noticed the widening of Kojiro’s eyes, followed by the subtle shift from Kaoru’s face, to his attire, and finally to Carla tucked carefully under his arm. 

“Your doctor said it’s okay?” Kojiro asked, eyebrows narrowed in justified scrutiny. 

“Yes,” Kaoru answered. 

“Yes? Is that the exact word she used?” He raised one eyebrow in question while the other remained lowered in position. 

“Do you question all of your customers?” Kaoru walked over to the bar and sat down. “It's not very welcoming, boisterous gorilla.” 

“If you don’t like it, you and your robot can leave,” Kojiro retorted. “Customers actually pay, scrawny four eyes.” 

Kaoru slammed his hands down against the bar top, stood up, and leaned forward until he was in Kojiro’s face. “Don’t call Carla a _robot_.” 

“I’ll call her whatever I want,” Kojiro growled back, leaning close enough until his nose nearly touched Kaoru’s. He placed his hands on either of Kaoru’s shoulders and shoved him back into his seat before walking toward the back of the kitchen. 

Kaoru sat for several moments, listening to Kojiro’s friendly conversations with his employees as the others left for the night. When Kojiro finally returned, it was with a plate of pasta, which he sat down in front of Kaoru. 

“What do you want to drink?” he asked as he removed his chef’s coat, revealing a dark, green shirt that hugged his torso in a way that Kaoru was sure that far too many women had done over the years. 

“It doesn’t matter,” Kaoru answered. 

“You say that but then you’ll complain if I give you something that you don’t like.” 

“Then give me something that I _do_ like, imbecile.” 

Kojiro shot him a glare but sat a wine glass in front of him. A few seconds later, Kaoru watched as the glass was filled with white wine. He didn’t bother to ask what it was. Kojiro wouldn’t serve him anything but the best. 

He ate in silence for a while, only occasionally pausing between bites to banter with the other man. To Kojiro’s credit, he waited until Kaoru was almost finished eating to start firing off questions at him. 

“You’re going to ‘S’ tonight?”

Kaoru sat his fork down and downed the last few drops of wine in his glass. “Obviously.” 

“You’re hoping to challenge Adam to a rematch?” 

He wasn’t sure why, but that question caught him off guard. It made sense that most people would want a rematch after something like that. But Kaoru didn’t. He didn’t want to skate against Adam. All he wanted to know was why. What had he done to deserve something like that? What happened to Adam? 

To what they used to be?

Kaoru dropped his gaze and stared down at his empty plate. 

“No.” It was illogical to spend too much time dwelling on what happened during his match with Adam. Someone won. Someone lost. He’d lost. How he lost didn’t matter. That's how matches worked. At least, that’s how they worked at ‘S.’ “You still want to challenge him, don’t you?” 

“I do,” Kojiro confirmed. 

“It’s useless,” Kaoru replied. “He doesn’t skate the same. He’s not the same person he used to be.” 

“True,” Kojrio agreed. “But neither am I.” 

**_Joe_ **

As usual, the atmosphere at ‘S’ was electric. Joe got a rush of adrenaline just walking through the entrance. There was something about ‘S.’ Something about being surrounded by people from all walks of life with one common interest. 

He loved the passion of it all. Loved the way the music bumped from phones, radios, and speakers. Loved the way people shouted his name. Not only when he was on his board, but just at witnessing his presence. 

He loved the power of the wind wiping at his face and blowing through his hair, and the way the wheels of hundreds of skateboards rolled against the pavement. He loved to see women with their painted lips and skintight clothing, tits busting out their tube tops and toned, slender legs. 

Most of all, he loved the rush that he got when he was at ‘S.’ Knowing that he was a part of creating something like this, something that other people lived for, made him full of pride. Like serving someone a meal cooked to perfection and watching the pure rapture form along their face. 

“Hey, Kaoru…” Joe watched as Kaoru positioned himself on his board. 

“How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that here, idiot?” 

If he wanted an answer, he didn’t wait around for it. He sped off without so much as a second glance in Joe’s direction. Not that it mattered. Joe didn’t have an answer for him. He would call Kaoru whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted, and it wasn’t a damn thing Kaoru could do about it. 

Joe snickered and made himself comfortable, which meant getting on his board and skating to his heart’s content. Time passed. Maybe seconds, possibly minutes, perhaps hours. He could never be sure when he was skateboarding. Time was meaningless when he was on his board, and when he was on his board at ‘S,’ time wasn’t real. 

However long he had been skating, he probably could have doubled it had Adam not shown up. 

Adam was a unique type of person. One that you felt before you saw. Joe knew he had arrived before all the antics, the helicopters, parachutes, and music. Adam was like something you breathed. Not air. Like helium. You breathed him in, and it made you woozy and lightheaded. He was a force. Something dangerous that compelled you. 

The urge to look at Medusa before you were turned to stone. 

Adam didn’t notice him, of course. Joe wasn’t even on his radar. He was too busy looking for Langa. Or Snow. Or whatever they were calling him. He didn’t fault Adam for this. Like Adam, Langa was also a force. Unlike him, he was actually a decent fucking person. 

Like everyone else, Joe watched and waited as Adam went about his flamboyant escapades. He was a man who liked being in the spotlight. And why wouldn’t he? People gave him their attention on a silver platter, Joe included. 

Adam was a single glass of water in the middle of the Sahara Desert. You’d crawl through the sand, knees and palms raw, throat burning, and lips blistered only to discover that the glass isn’t filled with water, it’s filled with bleach. 

_That_ was Adam—the Matador of Love. Adam didn’t know what love was. Love wouldn’t have done that to Kaoru. 

Joe would _never_ have done that to him. 

“Snow!” Adam shouted into the crowd. “My Eve. Where is he?” He skated through the mass of overly excited bodies who part as he approached, as if they were all doors opening for him. 

Opening for _him_ , Joe thought bitterly. As if Adam ever deserved to have someone willingly open themselves mentally, emotionally, and _physically_ to him. 

“Adam!” Joe shouted Adam’s name louder and angrier than he had intended. It cut through the blasting music like blade, serving the bass into silence. 

Adam audibly sighed similarly to the same way he did when he found out that Joe was going up against Langa instead of him. Joe watched as Adam’s shoulders slumped, already bored at any potential conversation he might have with him. That was fine. Joe didn’t care. What he had to say wouldn’t take long. 

“Let me guess,” Adam began, “you want to challenge me? Is that right?” 

“Yes,” Joe answered. 

Adam rolled his eyes. “I won’t humor you with an invitation. We both know, I’m out of your league.” 

Joe made his way through the group of people standing between him and Adam, only half listening as Adam sprouted off the many reasons why he felt Joe was an unworthy adversary. 

Joe’s fingers were already closing into a fist when he finally reached him, and simply put, when he was in swinging distance, he swung. Not with his board, but with his fist. His board had won him many matches over the years. He wouldn’t disgrace it by letting it touch Adam’s face. Plus, he wanted to _feel_ the impact of his knuckles smashing against the skin and bone of Adam’s cheek. 

And he did. 

He felt it and he _heard_ it. Heard the way Adam’s teeth clattered from the collision. Heard the shocked gasps of the crowd and pained grunt from Adam. And, with sick satisfaction, he heard the way Adam crumpled to the ground in a heap of red and blue. 

He could have continued. He could have beaten Adam within an inch of his life and no one at ‘S’ could have stopped him. He may not have been able to out skate Langa, and he’d probably lose a match against Adam, but there was no one out there who could beat his ass. That’s something he did know. 

He didn’t have to restrain himself. He wasn’t out of control. He knew exactly what he was doing. 

He stared down at Adam, hands on his hips, expectantly waiting. “Well?” 

“Well, what?” Adam asked from his spot sprawled out on the ground, his hand cradling his cheek. 

“Do you accept my challenge?” Joe asked. 

Adam snorted and averted his gaze from Joe. “I’m not going to fight you.” 

Joe replied with a single nod of his head. “That’s what I thought. By the way, I may not be in your league, but you’re definitely not in his.” 

Completing what he’d set out to do, Joe decided it would be best to call it a night. It would probably be a bit awkward to keep skating after he’d just punched the shit out of Adam, he thought with a chuckle as he kick-pushed himself away from ‘S.’ He hadn’t been expecting Kaoru to be standing near the entrance, his eyes wide in a silent question of “why?” 

Joe didn’t answer him. If Kaoru hadn’t figured it out by now, then who was really the dumb gorilla?

**_Cherry_ **

Carla didn’t have an autopilot, but it certainly felt like she did. He didn’t remember the exact moment he decided to follow after Kojiro. He didn’t remember much of anything other than the sound of Kojiro’s fist connecting with Adam’s face projecting on every phone, iPad, and big screen strategically placed around ‘S.’

He wished he had followed Kojiro sooner. The decision to chase after him hadn’t been immediate. He was stunned for several minutes after Kojiro left, silently processing what had happened. 

Not only was Kojiro a powerful skater, but he was fast too, which meant he could have gone anywhere in the time it took for Kaoru to leave. Could he have gone back to the restaurant? Or maybe home? Or maybe even to that spot—their spot. 

What if he hadn’t gone to any of those places? What if he had picked up a random woman and brought her back to his place or some pay-by-the-hour love hotel? The thought alone filled Kaoru with emotions that startlingly alarmed him. 

Where would he go, Kaoru wondered. Someplace that made him feel at ease. A place where he wasn’t lonely even if he was alone. A place where he made memories. Good ones. Kaoru had an idea. He wasn’t sure if he was right, but it was as good of a guess as any other. 

By the time he reached Sialaluce, Kaoru was starting to second guess himself. It seemed more logical that Kojiro would be somewhere having sex than he would be sitting in an empty restaurant. 

“Carla, what time-”

“Most people wear watches to tell the time, you know.” Kojiro’s voice drifted from the walls of his restaurant. “Or use their phone or something. Not ask their robot-skateboard-wife.” 

“She’s not my wife,” Kaoru shot back. 

“You sure about that?” 

Kaoru huffed and stepped off of Carla. He tucked her securely under his arm before checking the doors of the restaurant. They were unlocked. He made his way inside to find Joe sitting at the bar, nursing a bottle of wine. No glass in sight. 

“You here to charge up your wife?” 

Kaoru ignored him as he walked over to an outlet to plug in Carla. Now that he was here, he wasn’t sure what he wanted to say. 

“You punched Adam.” He stared down at Carla, bathed in the glow of her illuminating light as she charged. 

“Yeah, so?” 

“Why?”

“Because he deserved it,” Kojiro answered. “And because I knew you wouldn’t do it.” 

Kaoru scowled. “Are you saying I can’t fight?” 

“I never said that. I know you can fight. I’ve taken a few of your punches and kicks.” 

“Those weren’t serious.” 

“I know. But you still wouldn’t have done it.” There was something in the matter-of-factly way that Kojiro spoke that bothered Kaoru. As if it was something that was common knowledge. That Kaoru would never do anything to harm Adam. 

“I could if I wanted to.” 

“But you didn’t, and you don’t.” 

“But _you_ did.” 

“You’re goddamn right, I did.” 

“Why?” 

Adam took a swig from the bottle before sitting it down on the counter. Kaoru could tell by the sound it made that it was still nearly full. “What difference does it make?”

“Tell me,” Kaoru demanded. 

“Because he’s a piece of shit, that’s why,” Kojiro growled. It was obvious that his cool answers were a facade. He was electricity in a downed wire. “Not only is he a piece of shit, he’s a piece of shit who hurt _you_. If you thought I was going to let him get away with it, then you’re dumber than you look in those stupid glasses that you don’t even need.” 

“What are you saying?” Kaoru asked, voice rising. “Just spit it out. You never shut up any other time,” a sadistic smirk worked its way upon his face, “so speak, _dog_.” 

Joe leaned back against the bar and crossed his arms. “Make me.” 

“You’re wasting my time.” 

“Then leave, dummy.” 

Kaoru knew what Kojiro was doing. He was goading him. Pushing his buttons in a way that only Kojiro could. He knew exactly what to say and how to say it to get a rise out of him. Kojiro was an open book, as blunt as being smacked upside the head with...well, a skateboard. He wasn’t complex and mysterious like Adam. He bared it all right up front. 

So why could Kaoru never quite figure him out?

No. Not tonight. Tonight, would be the night that he’d learn the magician’s trick. Even if he had to beat it out of him. 

Kaoru stormed over to Kojiro, grabbing him by the collar. It didn’t exactly give the effect he was going for. Kojiro was both bigger and taller than him, but Kaoru wouldn’t let that stop him. 

“State it, plain and simple. Tell me why you did it.” He had an idea why, but he needed to hear it. 

He needed to hear it so badly that he could practically feel his heart drumming inside his ears. He couldn’t be the first to say it. What if he was wrong? He’d been wrong before. He couldn’t afford to be wrong again. Not about Kojiro. 

His heart couldn’t take it. 

“Be careful. You’re awfully close,” Kojiro warned him with a whisper. “Something might happen.” 

“Something like what?” Kaoru found himself whispering back. They were indeed close. Close enough that he could feel the warmth of Kojiro’s breath on his face and the heat of his body radiating against his own. 

“I don’t know.” Kojiro stared at him. It was an expression Kaoru knew all too well. A challenge. “Why don’t you ask Carla?” A dare disguised as a taunt. 

Kaoru was calculating and precise. He didn’t make decisions based on whims and gut feelings. In this sense, he was the exact opposite of Kojiro. He wouldn’t do something unless he was totally confident of what the results would be. That’s how he kept himself safe both on his board and off of it. 

Kojiro wasn’t safe. He was reckless and aggressive. And he was standing there, staring down at Kaoru, knowing damn well Kaoru would be too hesitant to make a move that would lead to something that they both wanted since they were kids. 

Well… fuck that. 

“Are you going to let go soon because you’re wrinkling my shir-”

Good. Yes. He’d shut that big, dumb mouth right up with his own. 

Kojiro’s lips were soft. Why wouldn’t they be? He kissed a lot of women. Well, that wouldn’t be happening anymore. Kaoru would make sure of it. 

He took pleasure in the surprised, muffled moan that slipped from Kojiro’s lips as he leaned further into him, letting his hands fall from his Kojiro’s collar to grip dominatingly at his hips. No taunts now. No way to coerce him with Kaoru’s tongue down his throat. 

Kojiro was the first to pull back, his eyes half lidded, bottom lip slightly swollen from how aggressively Kaoru had sucked on it. 

“I think you have the wrong idea,” he said, and Kaoru’s heart sank, until one quick spin had their positions switched. He pressed against Kaoru, making sure Kaoru felt the unmistakable bulge in his pants. “You aren’t the conductor of this choir, I am.” 

Kaoru groaned, fingers toying at the edge of Kojiro’s belt. “Then take me to church,” he breathed out. 

It was something to be said of their banter. Of how it didn’t stop, even when they were ridding each other of their clothes. Kaoru undressed Kojiro the same way he would have undressed himself—neatly. He took care to appreciate the mouthwatering beauty of Kojiro’s body, all muscles and tanned skin. Kojiro, on the other hand, undressed him in the same way Kaoru imagined a gorilla would—swiftly and forcefully, like an eager teen tearing into a neatly wrapped gift. 

Kaoru let him know all of this. Had warned him if he saw a single ripped seam in his clothing, he would make Kojiro pay. Kojiro responded by gripping both of their dicks in his hand and stroking them. 

Kojiro’s touch was indescribable. What he lacked in grace, he made up for in knowing how to deal pleasure like a hand of cards. Kaoru’s eyes closed and his knees buckled, so much so that Kojiro had to press him against the barstool to keep him from falling. 

“Keep your eyes open and watch what I’m doing to you,” Kojiro demanded. 

“N-No, pervert.” He was absolutely not going to watch. Not when he already felt like he was going to explode. 

“Suit yourself,” Kojiro replied with a chuckle, and then he said nothing at all because his mouth went on a journey of claiming every inch of Kaoru’s neck. 

Kaoru moaned, groaned, and whimpered at the lips and teeth assaulting his delicate skin. He knew he’d be covered in marks before the end of the night, but he’d deal with that later. 

“Turn around,” Kojiro moaned into the crook of Kaoru’s neck before kissing his way up to his lips and capturing his tongue. 

“Why?” He was answered by a pluck to his inner thigh that made his cock twitch. 

“Why do you think? Turn around.” Kojiro spun Kaoru over, and then bent his body so that he was draped over one of the barstools. 

“Here? You want to do this here?” Kaoru asked, doing his best to mask his excitement with false exasperation. 

“Why not? We’re almost there anyway.” 

“People _eat_ in here, idiot.” 

“We’ll clean after.” 

“Who is this _we_ that you mention? I’m not on your payroll.” 

A smack of a strong hand against sensitive flesh followed by a startled, pleasure-filled cry sounded out in the quietness of the restaurant. 

“I see that shut you up.” Kojiro ran his hand up and down Kaoru’s ass, now tinged with pink. “Maybe if you’d gotten more of these as a kid you wouldn’t always have something smart to say.” 

“F-Fuck you.” 

Kojiro laughed and smacked Kaoru’s ass again, slightly harder than the first time. “Next time.” 

Kaoru was equal parts humiliated and aroused. The fact that he was humiliated aroused him even more. He wondered how he got here. Naked and bent over a chair inside Kojiro’s restaurant getting spanked like an unruly child. 

“Hang on.” 

“What?” Kaoru turned around when he felt the heat from Kojiro’s body leave him. “What do you mean hang on? Where are you going, idiot?” 

Kojiro didn’t answer him. Instead, he found his jacket neatly resting against the edge of the counter and fumbled around through one of the inside pockets. A few seconds later, he pulled out a tiny, squeeze bottle of lube. 

“I’m not even going to ask why you have that in there,” Kaoru said. 

“Probably better if you didn’t. It’s not sex-related if you’re wondering.” 

“I wasn’t.” 

“I mean, that was its intended purpose, but- ” 

“Stop talking and fuck me.” 

“So vulgar.” 

Another smack against his ass, this time lube-slicked hand. He barely had a moment to process the pain of it before a finger was slipping inside of him, making him cry out and buck forward. 

Kaoru bit his lip to keep his moans inside his mouth where they belonged. He was already letting Kojiro have his way with him. He wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of moaning for him. 

“You’ve gone quiet,” Kojiro teased him. “You won’t be for much longer.” 

“Dumb ape,” Kaoru whispered loud enough for Kojiro hear. 

“What was that?” Kaoru felt Kojiro position himself behind him. “Dumb what now?” 

“You hea-- ahh!” Kaoru pressed his chest against the barstool and buried his face in his hands. He knew Kojiro’s had a big dick. He’d seen it. Still, somehow his brain hadn’t processed exactly how big it truly was. By the time it was fully inside of him, he felt like he’d been impaled, and his legs felt like jelly. 

“Halfway in,” Kojiro purred. 

“What?!” Kaoru almost sobbed. 

“Just playing.” 

“You stup-” 

Kojiro rocked forward and Kaoru felt as though he’d split in half and his soul had left his body. His instinct was to rock forward, running away from the pleasure and pain of having Kojiro deep inside him. His running served no purpose. It was fruitless. Kojiro moved his hand from Kaoru’s hip and gripped his long hair, wrapping Kaoru’s ponytail around his fist and pulled backward. This caused Kaoru to arch his back in a way that drove Kojiro’s even deeper into him, and the resulting shout of Kojiro’s name falling from his lips sounded as though it was connected to an amplifier. 

“Now that I like,” Joe whispered. 

“You put your lubed up hand in my hair, moron.” 

“Stop talking and moan.” 

Kaoru did. Over and over again. He moaned so much that he worried he’d be hoarse the next day. Moaned so loudly that sometimes he couldn’t hear the dirty things Kojiro whispered into his ear with each hard snap of his hips. 

Kojiro moved his hand from Kaoru’s hair to his neck, his long fingers gripped on the marred flesh, not quite choking him but not- _not_ choking him. His other hand pumped Kaoru’s cock, hard and firm, and with enough momentum to rock him backward, forcing him to meet each one of his thrusts. 

Kaoru’s body trembled. He was wound so tightly it would only be a matter of time before he burst. He forced himself to hold back. He used every bit of his willpower and self-restraint from temporarily preventing the inevitable. 

“Stop holding back,” Kojiro growled into his ear. “I’ve got you. Always have. Always will.” 

Kaoru whimpered. 

“You know how I feel about you. I know how you feel about me.” Kaoru couldn’t focus on anything other than Kojiro’s voice and the pleasure inside his body rapidly racing toward a tipping point. “We know how we feel about each other, don’t we?” Kaoru didn’t answer. He couldn’t. Kojiro slammed hard into him, forcing him to do it anyway. “Don’t we?” 

“Yes!” Kaoru cried out. “Yes, yes...”

“Then say it,” he panted. “Say it and I swear whatever you want, whatever you need, it’s yours.” 

“Kojiro…” Kaoru pleaded. He couldn't hold back any longer. The boiling point was there. He was no longer tethering over the cliff. He had already fallen. 

“Say it.” Kojiro pounded into him relentlessly. Grunting and growling combined with the sound of his body slamming repeatedly into Kaoru’s along with the protesting of the two of them straining against the barstool created a melody that only their ears could hear. 

Something in Kaoru finally broke. Years of restraint, of reluctance, of playing it safe. All gone in three little words. 

“I love you.” It was whispered. It was rushed. But he’d said it. He’d said it and he’d meant it. Meant every word. Meant every syllable. 

Though he’d meant it, that didn’t stop him from trying to clamp his own hands over his mouth as he came. 

**_Joe_ **

Joe was faster though, his own hands catching Kaoru’s by the wrists and forcing them down. He wasn’t going to cover up how he felt emotionally or physically. Joe decided, right then and there, as Kaoru temporarily ruined his floors with his cum, that Kaoru was going to ride the high of his orgasm with what he said hanging above them, dangling over their heads like mistletoe. 

His teeth sank into Kaoru’s shoulder, making Kaoru cry out again. Kojiro let out a string of colorful curses muffled against pale skin as he came as well, pulling Kaoru back against him, making sure he took every drop. 

He felt weak and boneless when it was over. He’d feel that way for at least a couple of hours until he got his second wind. More than enough time to clean up and get them both back to his place. 

“Aren’t you going to say it back?” Kaoru asked him, voice quiet, perhaps even uncertain. 

“Say what back?” Joe asked. 

“Eh?!” 

“Relax.” Joe kissed one of the many hickeys he’d left on Kaoru’s neck. Kaoru was going to kick his ass for each one, but it was worth it. “I love you, _Cherry Blossom_.” 

“Shut up,” Kaoru growled. “I take it back. I hate you.” Except there was no malice behind his words. 

Come to think of it. Joe highly doubted that anything Kaoru said to him, regardless of how insulting it was, ever truly held any malice. They talked shit to each other. That’s what they always did. It was their love language. 

“I hate you more, scrawny, pink haired four eyes.” 

“Dumb, green gorilla.” 

“Hey.” Joe had already mostly slipped out, but he grimaced and pulled out the rest of the way, his body spent and sensitive. He tugged at Kaoru until they were once again staring at each other face to face. 

“Hey what?” 

“Want to spend the night at my place?” 

If Kaoru was surprised that he asked, he didn’t show it. “Yes, but only if you make me breakfast.” 

“I’ll make you breakfast, but only if you'll be _my_ breakfast.” 

Kaoru rolled his eyes. “You’re a disgusting, deviant degenerate.” He was too slow, or perhaps too tired, to wipe the smile off his face without Joe catching it. 

“But you love me,” Joe sang into his ear. 

“I never said that.” 

“Yes, you did.” 

“I _never_ said it.”

But they both knew he had. And as far as Joe was concerned, he’d spend the rest of his life making sure that Kaoru never stopped saying it. 


End file.
